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Larissa is a highly experienced instructor of Parent Effectiveness Training (P.E.T.), and is passionate about the skills taught in the course.  Larissa uses the skills everyday – with her children, her partner, in her workplace, at the shopping centre. She endeavours, with varying degrees of success, to ‘practice what she preaches’. When she attended a P.E.T. course as a new parent of her first baby, she found the course and the concepts life changing.  She is an accredited P.E.T. facilitator and group leader, and has been teaching for the past 18 years.  Over 1000 parents and practitioners have completed the course with her.  She continually updates her course with new examples and relevant material from the latest research.

Larissa has completed the instructor training for several other parenting courses, but chooses only to teach P.E.T.  This gives her a unique, thorough knowledge and understanding of a wide range of parenting approaches. She is an accredited member of both the Effectiveness Training Institute of Australia Ltd and the Institute of Group Leaders.
 
Larissa has an Honours degree in Science, and a Diploma of Counselling.  She has worked in government and community organisations - the latter as both a telephone counsellor of parents and carers, and as CEO of a small non-government agency.  She worked in a family oriented community organisation for over 12 years, and regularly attends professional development seminars and parenting conferences.  This ensures that she is well informed and up to date on parenting research.  
 
Awards
Larissa has been fortunate to be nominated for, and receive, the following awards:
  •  2007: Outstanding Teacher/Tutor award by Adult Learning Australia Inc, ACT. 
  •  2015: Runner-Up and Finalist - Lifeline Canberra's Women of Spirit Award

Writing and Blogging

Writing is a skill for which Larissa is grateful.  She has written scientific papers; abstracts and posters for conferences; tenders and successful grant applications.  A summary of her research on the relatively high percentage of fathers attending P.E.T. courses in Canberra was published in the ARACY Fatherhood Research Network's Bulletin (February 2014).  Larissa's article on the evidence that now supports the skills taught in P.E.T. can be found at: How the Evidence of Today Supports the Wisdom of Yesterday.

She is now enjoying writing articles for her own blog, and as a guest blogger for national and international websites.
 
Public Speaking
Larissa has presented posters or workshops at several national and international conferences on parenting and child and youth issues. She has been a guest speaker at schools and childcare centres, speaking to both parents and workers.  She was a long-standing member of Toastmasters International, regularly enterting their speaker competitions.
 
Media
Larissa has been invited to speak on ABC Radio National, and local radio (including ABC 666 and community radio), TV, and in print (The Canberra Times and the Chronicle). 
 
Volunteer

Larissa is a past CEO of the Effectiveness Training Institute of Australia  Ltd, and was a volunteer member of the board for several years.  She was a member of a school board and P&C for several years, along with various other voluntary positions.